Committee on Appointments & Promotions

COAP is concerned with criteria for academic appointments and promotions. It advises the Provost on individual appointments above the rank of Assistant Professor and on academic promotions from Assistant to Associate Professor that occur prior to the scheduled tenure review year. COAP advises the Provost on academic promotions for tenured faculty for Associate Professor to Professor, Associate Professor of Teaching to (full) Teaching Professor. It also advises the Provost on academic promotions for non-tenured/secured contract faculty for Assistant Teaching Professor to Associate Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor to (full) Teaching Professor, Assistant Research Professor to Associate Research Professor, and Associate Research Professor to (full) Research Professor. It also advises the Provost on reappointments for Professors of Practice. It makes recommendations to the Faculty for changes in recognized titles of academic rank and criteria of It makes recommendations to the Faculty for changes in recognized titles of academic rank and criteria of eligibility thereto. The Committee represents the Faculty to the President and Provost in consultation on appointment and performance evaluation of academic administrative officers.

Committee Composition from the Faculty Handbook

The Committee on Appointments and Promotions (COAP) consists of six elected Faculty Members holding the rank of Professor, with no more than one representative from any one academic department or program.

Promotion Information

Below you will find comprehensive information for those seeking promotion. This includes information that might be helpful in understanding how to evaluate a teaching portfolio, information on multiple forms of scholarship, and information on different types of service and how to indicate impact in service.

This also includes Guides to Promotion for faculty seeking promotion.  There is a guide for tenured faculty seeking promotion to Full and Full Professor of Teaching.  You will also find for a Guide non-tenured/secured contract faculty seeking promotion from Assistant Teaching (or Research) Professor to Associate Teaching (or Research) Professor, as well as a Guide for those seeking promotion from Associate Teaching (or Research) Professor to full Teaching (or Research) Professor.

These comprehensive Guides to Promotion are meant to de-fog the promotion process and include guidance for professional development; their mentoring teams (for Associates); tools for understanding how teaching and multiple forms of scholarship are evaluated; advice on applying for promotion, and guidance for putting together the nomination package.

This information is geared towards candidates as well as nominators and advocates.

Overall, the documents below are to help candidates, nominators, advocates, and others learn more about the promotion processes at WPI.